Still Hazing Crows

Dick Blume/The Post-Standard, 2005CROWS GATHER at dawn before flying out of Auburn for the day.

The birds could make Auburn
a magnet with a Crow Festival

To the Editor:

The recent article on crow hazing made me sad. Since when did Auburn become crow-phobic?

I had just begun enjoying these beautiful, intelligent birds. They did not seem to be in any "forbidden" areas and to my knowledge, no complaints were received.

Why would there be a problem with them sleeping in the cemetery at night? Why not just observe where the crows settle and see what their numbers are?

Mr. Anthony Lupo commented on the crows' ability to recognize his truck, and I could give you more facts about their high intelligence. We don't know why they choose Auburn each winter -- what a great mystery to ponder and explore. We could study them while apparently they study our behavior.

Citizens of Auburn: Should we share our city with the crows? Is it cruel to chase poor birds away who have flown many miles to sleep in our trees? Is it time to give crow-ecotourism a chance?

If you answer "yes" to these questions, ask city officials to stop the hazing. Tell them you want a fall 2009 or winter 2010 Crow Festival.

There will be a meeting about this festival in January. We need a lot of people to make it happen. For more information, please call 255-1405.

It's time to show more respect for God's creatures. The benefits would be many.